The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Billiken Club goes underground

The Billiken Club goes underground

Turnover leads to an empty calendar for the ‘always free’ venue

Courtesy of Moses. Bon Iver, a folk band who won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album in 2012, played their first show in St. Louis at The Billiken Club back in 2008.

The Billiken Club hosted six shows during the fall 2011 semester, each featuring a variety of underground artists, including The War on Drugs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and, St. Louis natives, So Many Dynamos. Saint Louis University students and members of the community flocked to each performance, all free of charge.

This semester, however, the intimate, edgy venue, located in the Busch Student Center, has seen a crowd only once, during a successful gathering of more than 100 students at an open-mic night in January. Student Amy Wall, booking manager of the Billiken Club, said that due to a transitional phase within the organization, no definitive acts have yet been announced for the spring semester.

“We’re in transition and just trying to solidify details, so something should be coming down the pipe soon,” Donna Bess Myers, interim staff manager of the Billiken Club, said. “There is no doubt about that, but it’s just that we’re not exactly able to say what that is yet.”

Myers said that when the former staff manager of the Billiken Club, Chris Grabau, left his position as manager of the BSC to secure a different position within the University, several student groups within the building were left to find new advisors and support for their organizations. As manager of the BSC, Grabau worked with various student media groups in addition to the Billiken Club, including The University News, KSLU and SLU-TV.

Story continues below advertisement

Grabau said that one of his principle goals as manager of the BSC was to create an attraction to the building for students, alumni and the public through the Billiken Club, and that working with the student organization was one of his favorite things to do.

“St. Louis has a lot of choices in terms of entertainment, so we wanted to put together a series that was of a high enough quality that people looked for the next show and planned to attend,” Grabau said. “The concert series strived to bring artists to the campus before they gained a larger audience on a setting where the music was center stage. We wanted each concert to be an event where a person could find their favorite new band, song, musician.”

When Grabau went on to pursue a position as an instructional designer for the Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence last September, Myers said she stepped in to oversee the Billiken Club.

“I could appreciate [Grabau’s] passion for the Billiken Club,” Myers said. “I just had a soft spot in my heart to support them.”

Myers, who was a music major in college, said she loves music and discovering new artists but that her time tends to be focused on her position as the director of Student Support and Parent Services.

“We are discussing who would be able to give [the Billiken Club] the time and attention they deserve,” Myers said. “I would so love to do it, but my attention gets to be difficult when I am dealing with emergent issues.”

Wall, however, said that Myers has been very helpful.

“[Myers] really stepped in and helped us,” Wall said. “We’ve been really lucky to have her help us out a bit and work with me and listen to what I have to say.”

Wall said that she is eager to announce a few shows before the end of the spring, but that the BillIken Club is also focusing on the fall semester. The student organization typically books underground acts, bands which Wall said she sometimes refers to as “up-and-coming” artists, because they are generally less expensive to book than the artists featured on mainstream radio stations.

“They are not something that are on the Top 40 or getting a lot of radio play or huge attention on a major label, but they are something that we consider equally as good or perhaps even more so,” Wall said.

Some artists that previously appeared at the Billiken Club have grown to become very popular, including this year’s Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Bon Iver, who played his first show in St. Louis at the venue in 2008.

Myers said she encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities for entertainment that the Billiken Club offers on campus.

“The Busch Student Center is the students’ backyard,” Myers said. “Where else can you go to find quality music, a free opportunity to hang out with your friends or meet people within the community?”

Wall said that one concern within the organization has been the amount of outside community support it receives compared to student support, and that the administration is concerned that the Billiken Club is “more for the community than for students.”

“We are really interested in getting more students involved and excited because it’s a really great opportunity and a cool resource,” Wall said.

Student and concert-fan R.J. Hartbeck said he enjoys listening to performances at the Billiken Club. However, he said that if more people were invested in the venue, it would garner more support from students.

“If [the Billiken Club] was invested in and improved, it could to continue to be a really unique part of our campus,” Hartbeck said. “But until that happens, it will lack student support.”

Wall said she encourages students to become involved with the Billiken Club and take advantage of the “endless” leadership opportunities that the organization offers.

SLU alumna Liz Deichmann credits her involvement with the Billiken Club in 2007 and 2008 for the opportunity she encountered after graduation to work in the independent music industry in New York City. In 2010, Deichmann helped to establish the St. Louis Secret Sound Society and, in 2011, created the St. Louis Arts Project, two nonprofit organizations that promote local creative collaborations between artists, musicians and journalists.

“The skill set I learned [at the Billiken Club] has been invaluable and the most important part of my college experience, even more than my art history degree,” Deichmann said. “It has lead to job opportunities and cultivated a lifelong interest I currently pursue.”

Wall said she encourages students to take part in all levels of the organization. Those interested can find more information for involvement on the Billiken Club website, thebillikenclub.wordpress.com.

“Students are what makes it happen,” Wall said.

Although future performances at the Billiken Club have not yet been announced, students will have to wait patiently for their arrival.

“Keep your eyes open,” Myers said. “And your ears open, too.”

Leave a Comment
Donate to The University News
$1410
$750
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Saint Louis University. Your contribution will help us cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The University News
$1410
$750
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The University News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *